#i'd say something like 'if you want the funnie factor though there IS the kind penguin' but...

[fullmoonfireball]

y’know i might be a fairy penguin Dedede truther, but like. crested Dedede is VERY cute and him being a rockhopper penguin would work pretty well with his iconic jump attack

[retributory]

Can you talk in detail about LBH and what your favorite things are about him?

second go at this because tumblr nuked it the first time. lol. sorry this is so long and unorganized and only a little answers the question this is more of a stream of consciousness nico inner monologue sneak-peek that is binghe themed.

1) just the concept of binghe is very funny and appealing. 2014 edgy mary sue half-demon big dick op sex guy emperor of the whole world domesticated by loser 20-something with a 10k karma reddit account. really good no notes.

2) i think a lot of people (even binghe fans) tend to unintentionally flatten him because it's actually a little hard to write him. the fact that for most of the novel you have a misinformed opinion of him based off of sy's meta-contextual knowledge of events that have not happened and will not happen within the current timeline means that it's hard to actually know binghe's deal the first time around. even after that you have to grapple with the meta-meta-contextual facts of binghe being an alternative version of a character within a character within a novel within a novel that is being affected by a 'real person' within the first layer of meta, but of course svsss being very much a story that is often about being a writer/creative that second layer is played with often . . . to put it lightly i think it's probably a contributing factor to both the fact that he's really controversial and to the fact that a lot of svsss meta can get really, really existential LOL. this is before getting into the fact that you're at minimum actually talking about two characters anytime you're talking about him, so . . .

3) the thing is that i think binghe (both) fans are often incorrect about him because he (bing-mei) isn't actually a puppy crybaby, he's just acting like one. but haters are also incorrect, because similarly he (bing-ge) isn't really a domineering evil emperor. putting aside the very complicated ideas we could get into re: are fictional characters the executors of their own actions when viewed meta-contextually, the fact is that binghe spends most of the novel playing some sort of role. which makes sense! at the time of sy transmigrating, (nominally) 14 year-old binghe has already lost his birth mother, been found in a river, lost his adoptive mother, been ritually abused by his peers in all settings, lived on the streets, managed to get into cqms just to be a scapegoat, been ritually abused by his shizun, etc . . . when sy uses the term 'white lotus,' it's not actually a compliment. it should be noted sy also knows that ultimately binghe is acting nice because he wants adults to treat him nicely, and he does not (yet) have any kind of power or authority to do anything about being treated wrongly. i think probably the first hint of binghe's real personality is when he leads off lmy because he thinks sy is staring at her - i don't think binghe is mean, but he isn't nice either. he's very jealous, he gets upset easily, he doesn't take issue with manipulating others to get what he wants.

(aside: even as a child, he has already very much formed the worldview that existence is transactional, something that is informed even more by sj's treatment of him. even though sy challenges that worldview, he doesn't get rid of it. all of binghe's love language is based around the idea of doing something for him; cleaning his house, making him meals, keeping him safe. naturally i think that's informed by the only affection he's received being at the hands of a woman who couldn't do much for him other than acts of service in the first place, but i also think that usefulness is a core tenet of what binghe believes that he and other people need to be.

i don't think it's controversial to say that bing-ge does not actually love any of his wives. i'd go so far as to say i don't even think he actually enjoys having sex with them - he is purely doing so to fuel xin mo, and would otherwise either not bother with them at all or kill them. being the wife of the Emperor of Both Realms is the transactional reward for providing him with no-questions-asked xin mo-feeding sex, of which he textually will just rape them if they don't agree. because bing-mei actually does love sy, i think he has to consistently challenge the idea of 'usefulness as a core tenet of a relationship,' which is one of the bigger problems they have to navigate).

very much a core part of svsss is that both of these people (sy and binghe) are. hmm. not the best people. bugfuck crazy actually. binghe puts on the waterworks because sy likes fussing over him like an overbearing mother, and while the underlying thing that he's having crocodile tears over really is bothering him a lot of the time, he's playing it up for puppy baby points. but that isn't his actual personality. his actual personality is when sy starts soothing him automatically when binghe gets the idea that sy may have been sexing lqg up in those caves. lmfao

4) speaking of, he's very easy to read as having bpd. i think other people are fully entitled to have their opinions on the matter but binghe's quote-unquote bad personality is majorly explained if you simply operate under the assumption that he has a cluster-b personality disorder (which are caused by childhood trauma, dontcha know . . .). it's easy to view his xin mo-induced catastrophic meltdown in vol 3 as splitting, and his constant back-and-forth of "shizun is the best person ever, shizun is an angel, shizun is incapable of wrongdoing" to "shizun is the worst person ever, shizun is cruel and unrelented, shizun hurts me on purpose" is easy to see as the sort of black-and-white thinking that bpd is characterized by. of course you can just think whatever, but i like to see it that way, especially because binghe is still seen as desirable despite his flaws, while any character that has or is implied to have a cluster-b disorder is usually treated as some sort of inhuman monster.

5) of course, backing off that, did you know i actually rarely like romance? for years i made a habit to intentionally avoid all romance novels because i disliked the genre out of principle. despite being largely into the shipping scene of any given fandom i was in, i both generally did not interact with other fans and also generally avoided anything romance-centric. i avoided mxtx's works (tgcf specifically) for years because i was quite convinced all romance was the same as the very very boring sort of stuff i had unfortunately read, where both the main character and the male lead are completely and utterly perfect and the only conflict is the fact that they aren't currently together. the only reason i read svsss . . . was because someone on my twitter tl at the time was complaining about it, and their complaints sold me on it because they (bq) sounded so weird. i read the entirety of it extras and all in 3 days. it sent me cartwheeling down a rabbithole of a genre i had FOOLISHLY written off. thank you binghe's terrible personality for saving me.

6) i also . . . am eternally enchanted by binghe's borderline horrific body. the satire of 'what does a perfect harem lead power fantasy stallion actually look like' kills me. when sy feels his abs and they're uncomfortably hard all the time . . . his actual literal horsecock obliterating sy's stupid insides . . . i think binghe has body dysmorphia but the opposite way around people usually have it. he wants a smaller dick and a less sexy body. i think he is trapped in his perfect stupid sexy body and it really kills me.

7) this is getting too long i think i have to shut up. my FAVORITE THING ABOUT BINGHE?? his personality. if you put a gun to my head. but he is so cutiebaby anyways. i understand sy completely; i also want to coddle and baby binghe when he does awful things. binghe would have loved puppygirl posting online . . .

[chatonarya]

As I was gathering material for one of my longer upcoming essays, I stumbled across something I think worth talking about: the third section of Degenbrecher's profile, which outlines her daily routine. Not only is it quite funny, but it's also quite adorable.

A report from our correspondent: There are many mysteries surrounding the president of Karlan Trade, Enciodes, and the most intriguing of them all is of course his bodyguard, the former three-time winner of the Kazimierz Major—Miss Degenbrecher. ... With her permission, we have shadowed her for a day—

First off, it's funny how Degenbrecher apparently agrees to let a reporter follow her for a day. She just doesn't care. It's also cute how the reporter refers to her as Miss Degenbrecher, rather than Ms., and it's not even the only instance of the Kjerags referring to her with that title.

When she wakes up in the morning, the first thing she does is to head downstairs to buy breakfast. After her meal, she will go out if Master Enciodes has work for her, or if there is Tschaggatta training to conduct. Otherwise, she will exercise in the yard for about two hours, then copy scriptures or read in her study until noon. She then goes to the nearby commercial district for lunch.

Of interest is that unlike what I'd previously assumed, despite being Enciodes's bodyguard, Degenbrecher apparently does not sleep under the same roof as he does, but has her own place. Being that she was a homeless orphan as a child, it makes sense that she would be happy to have a home exclusively of her own. But oddly, it seems that she doesn't need to shadow Enciodes's every footstep, or at least, he doesn't seem to think it necessary anymore. Perhaps there are less assassination attempts lately?

It also appears that Degenbrecher lives above a breakfast shop or cafe or even in some sort of inn, as she "goes downstairs" to "buy" her breakfast. We know Degenbrecher doesn't like noise or crowds, so my guess would be that it's a small cafe or shop, particularly as this is followed by the statement that she exercises in the yard, so it must be a building that has some standalone space around it. The mention of her "study" also implies that her home is spacious enough to have not just a bedroom but a living area as well, potentially an extra room.

The bit about her copying scripture is a reference to her voice lines where she once met Enya and Enya gave her a book and suggested she copy scripture if she was bored, and Degenbrecher subsequently decided to copy a passage every day. Aside from the fact that she finds it relaxing (in her original Japanese lines, she says it makes her "feel empty"), this is probably something that helps her understand Kjerag, because faith in Kjeragandr is the unifying factor for the people, even if Degenbrecher may not necessarily believe in Kjeragandr the same way they do.

I do wonder what kind of books Degenbrecher likes to read though; if it's only the holy books, if it's history, or fiction... (I wonder if Gnosis and/or Enciodes procures her reading material.)

During her lunch break, villagers will often approach her, asking for help with farm work or to settle some trouble (there is a consensus among the locals that her help is first-come-first-served), and what's most astonishing is that she will agree to help them after eating. You could say she spends most of her afternoon helping the villagers, and on the rare occasion she has free time, she will head to the snowy mountains in search of something more exciting.

Degenbrecher takes her lunch at the "nearby commercial district", so that lends further fuel to her home being somewhere more secluded. She is then apparently beset by the locals requesting assistance with their work, who try to get to her first. She doesn't like noise, yet she apparently doesn't mind being bothered during her meal by random people who want her help, but then, by going to the commercial district, she's specifically placing herself in the public realm and making herself visible and available.

We see one of the things that makes Degenbrecher such an unpretentious person: she has no qualms whatsoever about helping with farm work. She doesn't mind getting her hands dirty or doing manual labor, however much of a boon her strength and speed must be.

Her heading into the mountains refers to her recreation of fighting the avalanches, as mentioned in her voice lines and in another part of her profile. I wonder what she does when there is no avalanche and she's free... Just wander around? Explore? Hunt? Go hang out with her besties? Drag them away from work to hang out with her?

Usually, her dinner is willingly provided by the villagers who borrowed her assistance, or she'll simply have something on the road. Then, she goes for a stroll by Lake Silberneherze before returning to her residence and calling it a day.

Not only does she help the villagers, but they feed her too, how sweet. She must know many of them fairly well if she has dinner in their households regularly. I love how this shows that despite her generally standoffish demeanor, she'll accept sharing a table with the villagers. It shows both the warmth and regard the Kjerags have for her that they invite her to their homes like this, and also Degenbrecher's regard for them. For someone who was treated as an outcast and defective in her native land, forever looked at with disdain, this acceptance must make her happy deep down.

Her nightly stroll by the lake must be either a cursory surveillance of the place, or merely to appreciate the scenery. I'm a bit fuzzy on the precise location of Lake Silberneherze but it probably must be relatively near Turicum and somewhere within the Silverash territory, perhaps somewhere relatively by Mount Karlan, which straddles the boundary between Silverash and Paleroche land, as the Kjeragandr statue surely must have universal access for all three clans. But anyway, that aside, I wonder if it's a nostalgic site for her, given how she and Enciodes crossed it when they first returned to Kjerag...

I wonder how she learned to ice skate, and if it was the boys who taught her, and if they've ever done it together.

Yes, Miss Degenbrecher, the living legend who left an unbroken record in Kazimierz is now living the simple life here in Kjerag. This only whets our curiosity about her attitude toward life, but she was unwilling to share her opinion. After the writer was hung by a wooden pole on the wall outside her residence, we were forced to take a different approach. After interviewing some random neighboring villagers, we have selected a few valuable comments from them. Hopefully, our readers can get to know her better this way.

It's quite amusing how Degenbrecher is willing to allow herself to be observed, but draws the line at actually being interviewed; she still dislikes involvement with the media from her times in Kazimierz and keeps her personal thoughts to herself. But we can see the surfacing of her mischievous streak here, the same one which motivated her to prank Gnosis and tell him the medicine she gave him was actually poison, by the way she strings up the writer on a pole. No doubt she left them there for a little bit, unharmed but helpless, before letting them down or letting them free themselves somehow.

"Degenbrecher? She's a good person! Just ask around, there's no one here who hasn't received her help! You definitely have to write that down. No clue what this Kazimierz thing everyone keeps mentioning is, but she's definitely a good Kjerag girl!" ——An old man enjoying the shade under a tree

The elderly man doesn't have the faintest idea of the countries that exist outside of Kjerag: the only thing that matters to him is that Degenbrecher is a good person. Her origins and her past don't matter to the people of Kjerag--only who she is now and what she does. She's one of them, "a good Kjerag girl," awww. This is probably also a callback to the incident mentioned in her voice lines where the owner of a restaurant yelled at tourists attempting to pick a fight with her and referred to her as "our Kjerag lady," though that loses some of the nuance the line has in its original Japanese: the restaurant owner called her ojou-chan, once again emphasizing she's a young lady, and with an affectionate honorific to boot.

"Miss Degenbrecher? Oh, she's an honorary member of our Anglers Association. At first, we thought someone like her wouldn't be interested, but one day she spent the entire afternoon with us by an ice hole, and it was then I knew she was one of us. Go ask the fellas who're always at Lake Silberneherze. Everyone knows her, she's our idol." ——A young angler

Another demonstration of Degenbrecher being absorbed by the Kjerag culture: taking up ice fishing, and being accepted by them as "one of us". I really love the sentiment of "everyone knows her", as well, which further underlines not just how beloved Degenbrecher is to the Kjerags but how well-known she is, which I think would extend beyond just the Anglers Association but to basically the entire country. It seems that no matter how mysterious she is, she's a figure as universally recognized as the Saintess or any of the clan leaders.

"Degenbrecher? To be honest, I was wary when she first joined us. After all, she pretty much took my position. But afterwards I stopped caring, yeah? Spend long enough with her, and you'll realize that despite how she looks, she really does care, deep down. There's no doubt she's an indispensable member of the Silverash family." ——An Itra with a strange scent

This is obviously Weiss, AKA Courier, as is obvious not just by the Itra comment but by the fact that he mentions Degenbrecher took his position--a position he's likely spent most of his life training for ever since he was rescued, and at the bare minimum was seven years while Enciodes was away in Victoria. Naturally, he would be wary of her, both on account of her usurping his position and being a non-Kjerag. But as soon as he realized that she cared, he was alright with her; she earned his trust, likely with her capabilities and primarily the fact that like Weiss himself, Enciodes is very important to her and she has no ulterior motives.

I also can't help but smile at how he says that she's a member of the Silverash family. She's just not considered a Kjerag, but basically a Silverash too. For Degenbrecher, who has no family she can remember, the thought that Enciodes and Gnosis have become her family is such a sweet one.

"Can Kjerag can satisfy her? That is but the preliminary question. You will soon discover that what gives her cause to leave or stay is not the satisfaction she feels, but whether her environment makes sense to her. I am pleased to note that Kjerag does indeed, and I believe her attitude towards it represents a sort of simple, yet sharp, perspective on this place. I can only hope that she finds the future Kjerag just as coherent." ——A Feline who asked to conceal his identity ..... ——Excerpt from the March 1098 issue of "Kjerag Newsletter" second edition

This is obviously Enciodes; it's evident in his manner of speech and how intimately he speaks about Degenbrecher. What I find quite amusing is how he must have apparently heard that the paper was doing this report on her, and scurried over to give an interview as the foremost expert on her (naturally, being one of her closest friends). He simply had to make sure that his opinion was known as well. (He's definitely not "some random neighboring villager.") Or, alternatively, the newspaper approached him first and asked him for a few comments and he simply couldn't resist.

Enciodes's comments themselves are of interest, too. He understands Degenbrecher very well due to their long friendship, and so he points out that what motivates her isn't actually her own satisfaction with her surroundings. Rather, it's whether they "make sense to her". This speaks of how he understands not just her way of thinking, but also how she sees herself. I believe he doesn't just mean that she thinks, "does this place make sense to me?" but also "does it make sense for me to be here?" and the answer to both of those questions is obviously yes.

It's also worth mentioning here that Degenbrecher is very down-to-earth at heart. For all that she's "living the simple life," Degenbrecher is a fairly simple person. She doesn't care for complicated things or lofty notions like honor and even finds sneak attacks to be a hassle, always favoring the most direct solution to any problem and describing herself as brute violence. So Kjerag, being the simple and straightforward place it is, not only suits her well, but she's able to comprehend it easily, and she likes that. The Kjerag people generally are simple and honest, as evidenced by their requests for her help with farm work and their lack of concern for her past; they have no ulterior motives nor desires. Degenbrecher is also a person for whom actions speak louder than words, not merely her own but those around her.

This is what Enciodes is referring to when he says her attitude provides a "simple yet sharp perspective on the place." The present Kjerag is such that someone like Degenbrecher with Degenbrecher's mindset can easily understand and feel at home there. It is a simple place, both in a positive and negative way.

His comments about the future are also slightly noteworthy on account of the date on the paper: 1098, which shows that this paper was published one year after Break The Ice, which took place in 1097. With the rapidly accelerating changes taking place in Kjerag beneath his hands, he's showing a bit of concern here regarding whether she will feel the same way about the new Kjerag he's creating; but now, post-RS, we know that she has no intention of leaving.

[chubs-deuce]

I am... confused as to what age the other anon thinks Charlie is but if she was so young she wouldn't be able to canonly date Vaggie, who I'm pretty sure is in her 20s

So why wouldn't she be able to be shipped with Alastor? I think Rosie was just teasing him about bringing a girl to her, anyways. Introducing someone you're close to to someone else you're close to, I could see it as a big relationship deal and I too would probably tease my friend

Idk man :'D

Sounds to me like someone was just really jumping to the most surface level conclusions without much critical thinking, it happens.

I think the comment might've just made them think that Alastor is like. Canonically double her age or something, which is really funny considering the opposite is the case by a long shot. Rosie likely just said that bc he came in with a young looking, objecitvely very pretty girly, so it's an easy jab to make - it's just friendly banter between acquaintances. [some further thoughts I ended up having about aging in hell under the cut]

It's really hard to guess how old Alastor would actually be tbh since sinners' demon forms generally seem to hardly reflect their actual ages, so he could've honestly died in an age range that's anywhere from mid-20s to mid-50s.

(And at least based on how stubbornly driven to achieve his mysterious goals he is and how childishly petty, if not outright violent he gets when his authority, power and/or control are questioned; and the fact that he is finding himself with a bad deal at his hands now that he's struggling to escape - so I presume he accepted it recklessly, not something a wise old man would do - I'd say he likely died on the younger side of that range.)

And if he died in the 1930s and clearly managed to not get himself killed all the way into what I'm guessing is the 2020s, then that adds like 90 years of further existence in hell.

But that still only amounts to about 110-130 years total.

Charlie's 200+ years completely eclipse that lmfao.

That does make me curious though how old Vaggie actually is then, we don't know if she's a human soul that has been alive on earth before going to heaven and becoming an exorcist, or if she's a natively heaven-born kind of creation...

UItimately... these characters are all adults at the end of the day, and as such they could all do whatever they want, hypothetical age gap or not - it's honestly not like that sort of thing is even really something we can track in this "nobody ages once they're here and can only die at heaven's hands" sort of setting, so I don't see why it should matter that much ^^"

Like-

Say, hypothetically, you die at age 16 and go to hell, where you then continue to exist for an infinite amount of time. Are you now perpetually and forever a minor? Do you count the years you spend in hell on top of your human age despite not actually aging on a physical level in any capacity?

I'm gonna go on a limb here and say that bothering with age gaps in Hazbin Hotel makes little sense, since the inherent issue with those always boils down to unbalanced power dynamics and uninformed and/or coerced consent anyways - factors that are easy to define as bad and we all understand are objectively toxic.

[nealsbian]

as a fan who watched older gmm a lot i have to say if i just saw a picture of link i wouldnt think he was attractive. but watching the videos endeared him to me SO MUCH that i started to see the attractive side?? i mean when you get over/used to the weird look you start noticing the pretty face in movement lol. but more than that he got me hooked immedietly first couple of videos i was barely paying attention to rhett unless he was doing something outrageously funny/weird etc. (this is kinda the only reason why i can remember my reaction to one of my first gmm videos i watched ''Taking a Dust Bath - Experiment'' and how i became a more dedicated fan. i kept thinking why am i so fond of this dork on the right?? tbh at some point he removes the big fugly(imo) glasses and his hair gets messy but his attitude is still what makes the ''it'' factor lol) also the bangs looked good sometimes when he let them get a little shagy/messy/fluffy (what it is supposed to look like tbh) especially even earlier times like "the mythical show" and on the great american road trip etc. he also had the smalled office style glasses which complemented that corporate/IT emo-adjacent look of 2000s better imo. its just as he got older he started to put too much gel or whatever which made the hairstyle unusually stiff/shiny (i used to call it the lego affect) and that paired with the big square dorky glasses it was an off-putting combo to say the least. buut i was still so endeared by all of him it didnt bother me much at the time? like i would watch it and still be into his vibe. he just has some kind of attitude that is magnetic and "cute" at the same which somehow doesnt get fake/over the top? idk im still fond of shagy hair but it definitely ran its course way before it was gone. what i personally truly hated was the shaved sides with the intense and stiff high quif even worse when he was dying it poorly to coal black which absorbed all the life and moevement out of it..that was my true nemesis. the close shaved sides/fade is such a basic fuck boy cut i cant believe people used to want link to go back to that

halfway through reading this I did understand the appeal of his old cut haha so congrats on painting such a good picture. I did hate the shaved sides too, think we can both agree that no matter how he styles it his hair is the best when there's more of it. but in the end no matter what he looks like his personality is what shines through. I don't think I'd be so drawn to him if he wasn't in this era though, just because his current look is sooo appealing to me rn, but at this point I'm already hooked so... he's just extremely charismatic, and i kinda love how he's such a - you either love him or hate him - kinda person. what you see is what you get.

also everybody is welcome to talk about Link in my askbox just so you know

[bthump]

Do you think Griffith would be a bottom for Guts?

In terms of what I prefer to read, I'd say yes lol.

And I do think it makes the most sense for them, at least at first. Like it's canon that Guts has ptsd relating to sexual position, and even if Griffith might too, it's much more easy for me to imagine Griffith totally repressing any trauma he has and having whatever sex Guts wants anyway.

I don't tend to associate top/bottom position with characterization or personality except in the sense that I find certain combinations sexier than other combinations lol, so I also like to think of Griffith as more of a bottom because he's more socially confident and tends to be in control, and because it can be one way of flipping the social power dynamic around, which I enjoy. Like a king getting fucked by his loyal general or whatever? Good stuff.

Plus Guts is hung up on power dynamics between them so I think even without the sexual trauma, if he's heard the Promrose Hall speech then he'd have hangups about bottoming. Penetration isn't inherently a power thing ofc, but we and griffguts live in a society so it's still a factor.

All that said I can definitely see both of them enjoying bottoming if you get past all the trauma and equality hang ups they have lol, they both have that like, needy desire to have the other's attention and be doted on imo that easily lends itself to bottoming in fictional porn, so in an idyllic future established relationship where they've dealt with their issues and grown past it all, I think they would actively want to switch.

Though yk what, if we're talking pure self-indulgent headcanon unrelated to any canon information, I would like to imagine Guts as fully a top not because of trauma or power hang ups or masculinity feelings but just because penetration isn't pleasurable for everyone, and maybe it's something he just physically doesn't enjoy after trying it. I never see that acknowledged in fic lol and I kind of want to. And like the idea of someone like Guts working past like 10 layers of trauma and internalized issues so Griffith can fuck him only to realize he's not even into it is kinda funny lol.

Thanks for the ask!

[starrspice]

For your Runaway Bride AU, it seems pretty obvious that Sun & Moon will fall completely in love with reader and reader will fall in love with them.

Especially seeing how speechless both Sun & Moon were in seeing how gorgeous they thought reader is, even though she was crying, hurt and in a torn up dress. The setup made it almost seem like “it was love at first sight for them” which, to me, helped made it seem like a big factor in why they wanted to help protect reader and be okay with marrying her immediately (even though they were most likely already programmed to just be nice in general). A quick setting of them first becoming acquaintances to growing into friends to become real lovers sort of situation and honestly I’m just eating ALL that up.

But I do wonder in who will fall in love first of the three? (Honestly, I think it will be tie between Sun or Moon first; but it would funny if it was actually reader who fell first for a change.) Will William try to do something horrible to Sun & Moon; or threaten them or their shop to get them to divorce reader? Or will he try to threaten reader to void her married to Sun & Moon just so he can try to force her to marry him instead? (Knowing how much everyone hates Afton in the fandom I wouldn’t put it pass him to try and go dirty to try to get what he wants. But then again, he just sounds like a big annoy jerk of a CEO then a mob boss honestly.) Will the “Afton virus” be part of this AU or (hopefully) not?

*Le gasped!* Will her MOTHER find her and try to force her to void her marriage to Sun & Moon or will she actually apologize for the pain and misery she put her daughter through for greed?

As stated before I’m just EATING this AU up! 😏🥰

Ooooo i Love the attention to detail you've caught onto there!!! (You've definitely caught on to some intentional details)

I should Say, Sun and Moon don't really care too much about looks. Theyre strong believers in don't judge a book by its cover. But they're very good at reading the kind of energy people give off. Yknow how you can just tell someone is snooty, or really nice just by the way they carry themselves? It certainly started as a form of pity for someone clearly in distress, but I'd say after y/n came out of hiding and immediately tried to help clean up the mess, thats when Sun and Moon REALLY got a read for who they are, and it struck them in a way neither expected.

And all the theories are an absolute TREAT to read!!!! Im eating up your theories like candy after halloween!!!

Funny enough there IS an answer to who falls in love first (or at least who REALIZES They're in love first). I could even tell you the exact MOMENT they realize it

Ive got this fic all planned out but it might be a smidge longer than i expected!!! Its still kind of on the backburner to my amnesia moon fic but that doesnt mean i wont be writing and uploading new chapters here and there!!!

As for William oh he certainly won't be haply when he finds out his bride who jilted him is now supposedly marrying two baker bots. Made from his own company no less. He certainly won't take that lying down. As for the Afton virus, that will not be an element of this fic (but will be of heavy focus in another future fic of mine)

And Y/N's Mom will be returning in the story, but a bit later on...

[mooneln0ne]

-Hiken here!

I just wanted to ask you about your thoughts on the previous ask. The one with Ace's narcolepsy. I feel like I made it too gruesome robin would love it(I have a feeling it was because I said it was supposed to be private).

I've been thinking about sabo's color scheme, since he's "basil" would that give him a different colour scheme than the others? Yamato would have either a blue or green color scheme as for uta, hers would be a strong red (psychologically proven to be the most stressful color) law would probably be blue or something along those lines. (Is it possible for you to make a small sketch of them?)

Back to Coby! I feel like Coby would appear in a single cutscene that would provoke the "chase" mini game. After that Coby would appear every now and then just like a wild card! His role is to make HIKEN stray away from Luffy only to kidnap him momentarily (in reality it's just something Ace's mind creates for ace to somewhat recover from a stressful shut down from his narcolepsy and yes I actually had to do a research to make sure that stress does indeed have an effect on narcolepsy so please dear newly appointed friend of mine take care of yourself )

Also you said that last time ace had a phobia of heights and like the good brain mine is he made a scenario that goes like this:

Since Ace kept trying to get whitebeard's head (which felt more like a chore at this point for it was but a promise to Luffy to prove his existence to the world ) he would still get plummeted to the ocean but what if Marco caught him? What if he tried to fly up with Ace between his talons?

I'm gonna leave the rest to you to imagine and feel free to share what you come up with! I wanna know how Ace would react in this case.

-Hiken out!

Sorry I fell asleep before I could answer the other ask, i just got home from a stressful walk that time and just plopped down on the sofa 😭 Anyways,

I'm a little woozy but here! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to not turn it into an rgkg haha.. Though I'd think of Yamato as yellow, since happiness and the three emotion thing. You did say Yamato is a chill boss so i'd like to think he'd be the type of boss to be ecstatic in fighting Hiken like a friendly rival. (Also that bit about Headspace Yamato's shadow 👁) I really do like the bit about Uta representing the anger Ace had, I just think if Hiken and Uta were to fight in the designated island, Sabo would be constantly trying to calm him down like how you spam items in Omori 😭 Law's an interesting case ngl, despite being in a place full of snow that could melt from fire, I feel like he'd get overpowered easily by how strong the winter in Kori Labs are, in a way it would represent how he can't get pass the guilt despite being able to burn it off.

Also The thing about Coby kidnapping Luffy is funny, I think it would be really funny if he genuinely means no harm but Ace's dream keeps making things go awry. The bit about the narcolepsy--yeah stress does factor in, I found myself suddenly falling asleep during a meeting and it was kind of silly ^^; The last bit about Ace almost plummeting into the ocean, I'd think that he'd be angry at Marco at catching him with his talons for a bit because he'd feel that he doesn't need help. But then he'd gaze into the deep water and suddenly finding himself staring at his Something, Obviously I think he'd panic and just climb back up feeling frustrated.

[bookwyrminspiration]

I think a part of their being less fanfics is that a some of people who wrote fanfic left the fandom due to the long gaps between unlocked and Stellarlune, as well as them not liking Stellarlune.

This is shown in the way that there is a lot of AU fics or post-canon fics. While a lot fo people do enjoy writing canon-complimentary fics, it’s not something everyone is interested in, plus canon right now is kind of weird so it’s easier to just ignore it.

Also, it seems that a lot of the fandom is older now, so we are more critical of our work and have less time/motivation to write fanfic, even if we want to. Plus, as people get older, they are more aware of how characters are out of character in our writing and they therefore feel the need to make them all in character.

To add on to that, the hits to likes/kudos to comments ratio is so freaking off it’s not even funny. There’s less engagement, which leads people to believe that they are not good at writing, which means that they shouldn’t post anything.

I know what I said isn’t true for everyone, but that does feel like that’s what is happening. I am just speaking based off of what I see and experience. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

What are your thoughts on this Quil? Do you agree or disagree? Do you think this will continue or will it be resolved with the next book?

Sincerely, ⚙️

(PS I wanted to say that I did read your Kam one shot and while I didn’t really fully process what was going on, I did enjoy reading it. You did a good job at nailing their characters. When I have the time, I will properly explain every feeling that I have.)

That's a fair observation--the one thing I'd say to your comments about older fandom members leaving and current older members having less time is that fandom is always in flux. There's always new people joining and others leaving, at least here, but it doesn't seem like as many of the newer people are fic writers. Like there were some popular fanartists who aren't in the fandom anymore, but we still have popular fanartists who have joined since. And my anecdotal observation is that that doesn't seem to be happening with fic writers as much--but again, that's a casual observation not a vetted one so I may be off or just not seeing new writers myself

Though our fandom is in a weird place right now with longer wait times and the story taking an unexpected direction, so I'm sure that also has an impact. I don't think there's any one thing that's responsible, there's an intersection of different things that impact people in different ways. I'm really just focusing on one that we have more control over. We can't control all the other factors, but we can collaboratively make a supportive, encouraging space for writers of all skill levels and interests! And I think it would be neat to do so!

As for the hit/like/kudos ratio, it is disheartening at times. Though I do think we shouldn't be basing our self-worth and opinions of our writing on interaction. If someone feels shitty about their writing/skill level because of low interaction I believe they should reflect and work to disconnect that sense of self from others' opinions, not that we need to interact to make them feel better. That is something for them to work through for themselves

But at the same time, it would be naive to completely ignore how interaction shapes writing and creation in general in fandom spaces. Because it does play a role for many. Fandom spaces are a community, and community is built on interaction and support!

I have no way of knowing what will happen with the next book or what the fandom will look like--like I said, it's always changing, and my time blindness makes it very difficult for me personally to see and understand the cycle of slumps and activity. But I think we, as a fandom, do have the opportunity to take some measure of control over this.

We can choose how to react to what we see and what kind of space we want to create. We could wait for the next book and just kinda see what happens, or we could make an active effort now to interact with writers and their work when we read it, and to separate our sense of worth from the amount of interaction we get.

That doesn't mean everyone has to go out and read tons of fic and leave the longest comments in the world, just that I think many of us (and this 100% includes me too) could put in a small amount of more effort to interact with fics and writers to support fic in fandoms in a variety of ways.

I'll leave it there for now, but there is always more to be said so don't take everything as the entirety of my thoughts. The main point of my post commenting on how I saw less fic was me going "hmm, I can't control everything else happening, but interaction and encouragement is very helpful for writers and something within my control and I want to support writers more than I do currently". I'm not intending to make some grand sweeping statement or push others to do things, it's just what I've reflected on and what I want to do about it :)

[if-you-like-pina-colada-s]

Because I'm such a huge music nerd, I've contemplated some kind of indoor percussion au for the Hetalia characters several times, and even though I'll probably never go through with actually making something for it, I NEED to share my vision with yall.

I've been going in circles about who I'd assign to what instrument. Thankfully most of them seem pretty obvious, and if not then it's at least narrowed down to two options. But I know one for certain. One I CANNOT and WILL NOT negotiate. And that is America being snare one. He is center snare no matter what. I've considered other characters for sure, but no one else exudes center snare energy like he does. Some other considerations I've had:

Germany on drumset

Japan on either vibraphone or snare

Russia on marimba one

China on tenors

France on tenors

Italy on cymbals or glockenspiel/bells

Canada on marimba two

England on snare or a base guitar

I also think I'd have Austria as the director of the group. Just cause he's the canon music-nerd-guy. But really I'd like it to be a collaborative, team working kinda thing. But Austria can be the one with the final word, is what I wanna say. He can compose and arrange their music. (Oh and BTW, yes I'd like to include all characters in this, at the very least all canon characters, I mean I want the whole group but it can only be so big.)

If this were an actual full-fledged au, I do have some background... lore? I guess? to consider. I'd like this to be a nationverse au (as in not a human au). For one, there's the comedic factor.... actually that's it. That's the only reason. Cause it's funny. Like imagine one day the nations just randomly decide "hey, what's a better way to kill time than participate in WGI competitions?" Where do they get all the instruments and equipment from? Who knows! Even better. Imagine being in another group, walking into world championships or whatever, and seeing that your competition is literally the personifications of the nations of the world. I'd be very intimidated, personally. And like, to me it makes sense they're at that level (as in, international level). Maybe they don't start there, but I feel like they'd be able to work their way up there, yknow? After all, it'd be stupid if they lived that long and didn't at least pick up on an instrument here and there. Hell, some of them were probably there when they invented the fucking church modes and shit. But I digress, I'm just saying the immortal being had time to practice and learn how to play, read, and understand music.

I think the Hetalia characters forming an indoor percussion group would be sick af. For a variety of reasons really. Though it really boils down to what I really love about music; that it's something everyone, no matter what culture you come from, has in common. Music is such an integral part of every culture, of everyone's lives. So imagine how cool and fun it would be to see the nations of the world playing music together and having fun. Oh and, I just wanna add, I mainly aimed for percussion specifically because yes I am a biased percussionist, and also I made a poll recently about what instrument family the nations remind yall of and the majority voted percussion (spontaneous, wild, the impactful, and most importantly, the heartbeat). And I have to say, I do agree. The nations really are, in a nutshell, the heartbeat, the culture itself, the core identity. What better way to show that than through music? The universal language.

Anyway, I've been talking for way too long. If you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about when I say "WGI" or "indoor percussion", look it up on Google or YouTube, there are some pretty cool videos or performances, I highly recommend looking more into it. And there's many different levels to look at too.

Okthatsitbye!

[kitkatt0430]

🌷🌺🍎

🌷 favorite sweet quote from a published work

Len gently ran his fingers down Barry's face along the scars before kissing Barry's jaw.  "It's not crazy.  Don't call yourself that.  You've gotten used to these scars.  They're evidence of how you not only survived something that could have killed you, you've since re-learned how to thrive.  You turned the scars into a source of strength and of course you wouldn't want to lose that.  And you won't.  Even if these scars do fade away one day... you're the strongest man I know.  And that was my opinion of you even before you developed the ability to unravel tornadoes and pickup pizza from Coast City for dinner.  Though it was amazing when I got to STAR Labs and saw what you were doing.  I was afraid to say anything the comms might pick up, though.  Didn't want to become a distraction when you were doing something that dangerous."

from Chaos in the Flap of a Wing

I really like Len's little speech to Barry here. In this fic they fall in love before Barry's powers really kick in, so he's seen Barry struggling with nerve damage from the lightning strike and his discomfort from the way people stare at his scars (not exactly like Savitar's but if you imagine those you won't be too far off). But as Barry learns more about his healing factor, he doesn't know how to feel about the possibility of the scars going away too.

Len wants to be sure Barry knows he's loved for who he is, and who he is happens to be pretty amazing.

🌺 favorite poetic quote from a published work

Though scattered at first, the dreams become a regular thing after that. Not just flying, but walking – running – through lives that aren’t Kendra’s but feel like hers. She looks in the mirror in those dreams sometimes and sees faces that look nothing like her own.

Every one of them is her.

from Reconstruction

I was aiming for a somewhat poetic tone to this fic. While the story is, in part, about Kendra discovering who she is in this life - including being aromantic - it's kind of a love story too. It's about Kendra learning to love herself - all of her selves - and to set boundaries that she'd felt unable to set in previous lives.

🍎 favorite angst quote from a wip

A not-so-subtle request had been given that maybe he not drown himself in quite so much booze between jobs this time.

Three years ago, Obi-Wan Kenobi would have been ashamed that such a request was necessary. Today, Ben wanted to ignore it but knew he was turning into an alcoholic. If he wasn’t one already. And he wasn’t totally sure that he cared.

Not very Jedi of him. But then Obi-Wan was the Jedi. Ben was... nobody.

From The Jedi in the Carbonite

I thought I'd been done with this fic by now, but no. It's being stubborn. As angsty as I thought it would be, though.

Obi-Wan is struggling with depression and alcoholism and more than a little self blame. Anakin's got his work cut out for him, helping his brother back to his feet. Once Anakin adjusts to the galaxy in shambles he's woken up to, that is. And that's not even taking into account the fact that a clone of Anakin has become Darth Vader, right hand of the Emperor. (Everyone is having a time of it.)

[kitnita]

I just read the new fic in your abo series and I'd be interested in any reasoning you had for the characters dynamics!

for sure!! so full disclosure, there was very minimal thought behind jake & jason’s dynamics initially — or like, there weren’t any Character Reasons put into them before i started plotting stuff out. i alluded to it in the author's note of if i could sink my teeth into you, but pretty much the only reason the fic exists is because otter got injured at the end of october & around that same time the usual posts about november being nhl fuck month started going around. it was Too Good not to do something with.

out with a vague lower body injury at the start of november, month famed for being when nhlers go nuts trying to have babies?? boom. plot gold. like literally the first few bullet points in my brainstorming notes:

embarrassing to look at how i fucked up spelling sympathetic there. whatever you get the gist. as i've said earlier this week, both jake & jason present as The Most Normal Dudes so i feel like if i were going about assigning dynamics in the usual fanon way they'd be beta4beta?? but the plot just isn't as funny if jake isn't an omega. and from there i do think it adds to jason's whole 'small black coffee with blueberry flavor shot' energy to make him the world's least intense alpha.

funnily enough the only people whose dynamics i put any Real Thought into were pavs & roope because i got in my head thinking about how coaches in professional sports would try & game team chemistry using dynamics.

like, in baseball i feel like teams/fans/the media would go BUCK WILD for alpha-omega pitcher-catcher duos. not even being picky about which position is which dynamic; i just feel like it'd be a thing. so similarly i wondered how nhl coaches would work like, d pairings & lines and stuff w dynamics — would they prefer beta centers or alpha centers?? one of each dynamic per line?? or one dynamic per line??? if you have two alphas on a line should the other forward be a beta or an omega?? etc etc etc

roope-pavs-robo always seem SO tired of answering questions about how their line has the chemistry it does. or like, bored??? they're not very introspective about it; it's just like 'well we've been playing together forever now, so … ' and other ways of essentially saying that they're not paid to think about that too hard.

i thought beta-roope would get so done with interviewers asking him about dynamics/chemistry/his line and i LOVED the thought of torturing him w the same tired brand of questions offscreen.

so we got omega pavs kinda by default; it probably does add some dynamics-roles nuance into the team asking him to essentially billet wyatt (are omegas thought to be, like, naturally nurturing in this particular a/b/o universe?? etc.) but that's not what the fic is About so we're not looking into that. miro also became an omega because i wanted the contrast of jason's two draft-classmates both being omegas & him having wildly different relationships w both of them to kind of drive home that even though dynamics were a part of his & otter's relationship, there weren't actually the most important factor??? idk if that came through but that was the thought process.

i feel like delly was implied to be an alpha but i was kind of vague on it. & i think those are the only guys whose dynamics featured in the fic!!

[ifidiedinadream]

Hello, sex-repulsed anon here again. First of all, thank you Giulia and everyone else for all of your kindness. It felt like a warm hug this morning. <3

I don't think I'm asexual, at least not in any kind of severe way. Like I said, I do like sex, and I do crave it on occasion. I've definitely had some unfortunate experiences in the past, particularly with an ex who steadily expected more and more from me sexually until I finally couldn't take it anymore and he ultimately went to find what he wanted elsewhere behind my back... But we don't need to get into that. :')

There's also the fact that several years ago I had a baby (with current partner), and the birth was very traumatic and immediately followed by horrific postpartum depression. Since then I've been on a very high dose of antidepressants, which completely tanked my sex drive. Now I'm scared to get off the meds because I never want to feel as horrible as I felt then ever again, but I know it's affecting me negatively in this area of my life. It's frustrating.

Funnily enough if I do fight through the discomfort with sex, I do usually end up having a nice time. Last night, for instance, I did manage to suck it up and do a few things I'd usually rather not, and my partner and I had really good sex. And it was great! I just struggle so hard with getting through that "deer in headlights" moment about 9 times out of 10. I still didn't feel sexy at all, but I know HE thinks I'm sexy so I guess something works. I do wish I could fully let go and have 100% fun instead of 95% fun, but I suppose I have to take what my funny little brain allows me as a treat once in a blue moon. x_x

first of all i wish crabs upon your ex

now, meds DEFINITELY kill your sex drive - been there done that. so that's definitely a factor to take into consideration and not something that's helping your case. have you talked to your doctor about it? maybe they can change your antidepressants to another type, though i absolutely understand if you fear they won't work as well as your current ones

i'm glad you actually managed to have a good time! i'm not saying you should "force yourself", but knowing you can have fun after that initial fear (?? is it fear?) is over with, maybe is something to keep in mind as well. it's just a moment and you got this! at least some of the time. it's still a win!

i, for one, fully believe in the "if your partner says you're beautiful (or any positive adjective; sexy, maybe, in this case) and you don't see it, don't try to change their mind. it's true for them" mentality. and it doesn't even have to be about partners only. it's actually helped my self esteem a lot (especially in terms of intelligence)

[storyteller-ish]

Thoughts on GMMTV 2024 Part 2, for my future reference:

Will probably watch

Ossan's Love, The Heart Killers, Hide & Sis, Us, Break up Service, ReVamp

Will wait to see the final trailer/until the first few eps air

The Heart Killers, Thame-Po, The Dark Dice, Leap Day

Intrigued by the cast but likely won’t watch

Friendshit Forever

Not for me

Sweet Tooth Good Dentist, The Ex-Morning, Scarlet Heart Thailand

Absolutely no thoughts

Perfect10Liners

Trailer thoughts below

Ossan's love: tbh I was hoping Earth would be in the Haruta role since I've wanted to see him do something goofy after seeing him in Mama Gogo. Needless to say I'm quite pleased lol. I was thrown off by the changes at first, specifically to this version of Haruta, but I'm pretty I'm pretty indifferent to it now. Maybe just seeing that they kept the rooftop fight scene in tact placated me lol. I look forward to it, it seems like it'll be fun!

Leap Day: Really interesting concept. The acting was a bit hammy, but it's only the concept trailer so I'm not especially concerned especially since Gun is involved. so I'll wait and see the final trailer

The Heart Killers: lost it when he threatened someone with a wrench to the neck. it's a good thing that person kissed him a second later or he would have had to figure out how to kill slit his throat with a wrench. Anyway, I'll probably watch it lol. I feel like I'll be more invested in the side couple since their loveline apparently based of Taming of the Shrew? but we'll see.

Friendshit Forever: I love this title so much.... no notes skdfsjl Am I the only one who thought this was a GL in the first few seconds LOL. I already knew about Us, so I was like TWO GLs??? But no lol. It doesn't really seem like the type of drama I'd like, so I'll probably pass on this one.

Perfect10Liners: Seems like a real classic type of BL. Didn't really have any thoughts on it.

Us: I do really look forward to this one! It already has a really distinct vibe that gives me an idea of what we'll be getting with this one. I'm so scared of the random death flags I'm getting from the tone though, I hope it's just me.

Hide and Sis: Ohhh I don't think I've had a GMMTV early trailer pull me in as well as this one did. It has a really strong sense of identity already. I really look forward to it. My track record is that I see these types of murder mystery dramas and every time I say I'll watch them and then they air, and then I don't watch it P.S. I Hate You I will get to you soon I promise but I DO really want to see this one. I'm going to try to do my best to hold myself to at least starting it once it airs.

Thame-Po: I JUST got the pun in the title lol. I'm curious about what Mr. Superstar asked the assistant to help him with and I feel like what they're up to will be the deciding factor in whether I watch this drama LOL idk why.

Break Up Service: Reminds me of Enjiya and, to a lesser extent, Revenge Agency's Two People. I like the concept and it seems like it'll be a fun time.

ReVamp: oh? TWO vampire shows on the roster? must be my birthday LOL. kind of wish I didn't know bohn and deun were signed to gmm now. the confusion I would have suffered from seeing this trailer would have been astronomical but also really funny.

Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist: Mark Pakin in a leading role (not the Last Twilight reference), good for him! His destiny has been fulfilled at last! Probably won't be watching though lol.

The Dark Dice: Looks interesting. Cool concept that I've seen before, but I'm curious about what they do with it. The fact that the game manifests as what looks like a sims plumbob, is going to open up so much potential for Sims jokes lol.

The Ex-Morning: seems fine, but why is there a random car accident thrown in lmao? and wouldn't that be a pretty major spoiler? Anyway I'm not opposed to watching it but I'm most likely going to pass.

Scarlet Heart Thailand: Reminds me that I still haven't seen Scarlet Heart Ryeo. I will probably skip it. I don't have any attachment to the original story that would make me want to see this story more than once.

[corporatenpc]

Dear Diary, my corporate angst bullshit has a body count

Log 001 - Feb. 7, 2023

Today I sat at my desk and did nothing the entire day. Not because there isn't anything to do, but because there's a ton to do but everything has been held up on purpose by The Parent Company.

Sure, go ahead, add more processes to my job. Keep adding them. Doesn't stop money from being wasted but go ahead and make my life harder.

This week I've been sworn at, had things demanded of me that I'm not able to provide, treated coldly, walked away from in the middle of my sentence, and it's only Wednesday.

One of my underlings brought up in the most roundabout way they could muster to me after work today that they noticed that our department in particular appear to always be silent and working while everyone else surrounding us actually seem to enjoy talking with each other.

They probably thinks other departments are happy and they're having a much better time at work than we are, but the problem is much more pervasive. After so much time here I've learned that a lot of things aren't as simple as they seem. Things seem to live on a delicate balance of facades and good luck. None of which are particularly stable factors to rest your career on.

As someone that oversees this underling, I'm limited in what I'm allowed to comment on. Did I want to tell them that that other department seems relaxed because they're not motivated to work? And that the source of the lack of motivation stems from the lack of compensation from the last year end? And the lack of compensation comes from the apparently poor performance of their department as a whole as assessed by The Parent Company? And that the reason their assessment was so poor is because their boss is a completely incompetent nincompoop? That pushes the blame to their own department and take the six figure salary for themselves?

Said Nincompoop who likes to overstep and yell and swear at me on a now weekly basis?

Tried to make conversation with the office witch today and all I got was the signal that they wanted me to go away. Fair enough, what was I expecting from a witch? Didn't want me to leave them alone when they were trying to use me to spy on their own direct reports though. Didn't seem all that repulsed by me when I had gossip they wanted to know about. This is the kind of witch that would die and melt into the carpet at this company but won't do it without taking everyone else down with them.

Everyone disappeared for two hour long lunches, yet those very people are the ones that like to turn around and nitpick when other people take a lunch longer than 30 minutes. Funny.

The person I'd thought was my friend at this office, the one I'd braved the rocky beginnings of a new project with for the better part of the last year has shown me their true colors time and time again yet I keep falling for the facade each time. I'm but a person. Said "friend" literally walked away from me in the middle of my sentence a couple days ago. They love to come running to me to vent, complain, talk about non-work related things, share random things they buy, yet when I try to reciprocate and share, I'm met with straight up ignorance or disinterest. Didn't realize how one sided this truly was until they pretended to see someone they needed to talk to and left while I was saying something. Bitch.

Can't wait for another day of this tomorrow. Can't wait for another day of being thought of less than human and treated as some sort of outsider for doing my job. Sorry I don't enjoy chatting about hair and makeup, and sorry I won't date you because you're not a good person, sorry I'm trying to keep things organized while you're all actively trying to make things muddy so it's easier to push the blame. Sorry for it all I guess.

2/10 terrible day

[smiletimeisrunningout]

"Now, now, I wouldn't say 'you are a good leader and I trust you' is submissive... nor I'd follow you, I think? In any case, if you do, then I definitely want none of it," she made a face, and even if her tone was playful, the idea of Ben being submissive was abhorrent.

She burst into laugh when he said no worse reasons to be promoted came to mind, and shook her head, "You are getting used to my flirting, did you notice? I feel like I've broken you, in a way. It's impossibly funny."

Yes, her home was extraordinary, she had been more than lucky. "Only if you like the sea and the forest, if you like big cities it would be boring. And our summer palace is literally in the middle of nowhere, there isn't even a city right next to it, you need to ride a horse for a couple of hours to get to the nearest one... but we like it. We always take a couple of weeks in the summer to stay there and... rest, I suppose. Be together. With my parents, I mean." Whether people stayed closed to their parents or not, especially if they were royalty, depended on many factors, but Emma knew that she was even luckier in that area, having such a close relationship with them.

"I think I'd want that. With my future children, I mean, I'd want to be as involved as possible, the way my mother was with me. No royal nursemaids if she had a choice. She didn't think..." she trailed off, not sure if she could say that to an outsider; on a second thought, however, there was nothing strange or particularly inappropriate in that topic, it was just sad. "King George... my grandfather, tried to ensure she couldn't have children, with some... poison of sorts. So when I arrived, she was... beyond overjoyed. I was raised as a gift. And I think... all children should feel like that."

Emma...even if you might coax them into reckless behavior.

"Ha! You'd think! Guess who's the most overprotective one at the children's home?" she pointed at herself before facepalming and sighing, "It's ridiculous, ridiculous. You have no idea of how much I've been mocked by my own parents over this, considering the kind of... animal I was at their age. I jumped on an iced lake, once. And yes, I mean I went under water and was immediately pulled out, thankfully, but now if I see a kid trying to go out with his hair still wet from a bath I have a fit. I think it's my punishment for what I put my parents through." Would she make a wonderful mother? She supposed she'd find out soon, at this point she had stretched her freedom for too long and she'd have to get to work on that as soon as she'd return home - or even here, find herself someone, but that was such a nauseating thought that it was best not to dwell on it now. Still, she worried she may be an annoying mother, despite spending so much time playing with the kids at home. Because she knew what the little monsters could do when left alone for five minutes, if she was any indication.

"So your solution to properly befriending me is to get me pickled? I'm not so sure I like this plan..."

"It is now!" she agreed, laughing with him. Though she knew she wasn't imagining him, it seemed that without realizing it she had gotten through him before.

"I just criticized your grammar, and yet I'm your favorite person? Now I think you're just trying to butter me up...should I be concerned?"

"No, dear, I'll still swat you later for that bit, the two things can coexist," she assured him with mock-seriousness. She wasn't going to take it back, not when he was so visibly flustered by it, and she was having such a pleasant time.

She didn't know what high power kept her from making a comment about how she could be persuaded to devour him, but she was sure that by now he could tell when she was biting back an extremely inappropriate comment, if only because she was certain it may some day result in pulling something from the effort. Eyes shining with hilarity, she took a deep breath, biting her lip, the sign that she was letting it pass for his sake, and took his hand to get up. But he just kept making it worse.

"I'm still trying not to say anything about devouring you, but if you keep talking about yourself like that... I could always prove you that you can charm me," she blatantly glanced at his lips and smiled mischievously, remembering in that moment how the first time they had truly talked she had 'showed' him the difference in tone between a casual compliment and heavy flirting, and wondering if he'd recognize that this fell into the second category. Still with the smirk, she pulled at his hand to take him with her, her prisoner of sorts, even if it did scream married couple to do so.

"I'd do it too if I didn't think you'd hide from me for the rest of my staying. Poor darling. But look at that, at least we are already being completely honest and not at all hiding, aren't you happy?"

Emma teased him and Benjamin chuckled, waving a hand in dismissal. "Let's not push this, shall we? I've already said you were a good leader and that I trust your judgment -- if you also make me admit I'd follow you, I just might spontaneously combust. It's against God's natural order for me to be submissive three times in a row, you know."

Her talk of leather...well...unsurprisingly drew heat to his face, and grinning in spite of himself, Benjamin shrugged. "I suppose there've been worse things to be promoted for," he said. "None are coming to mind, but it has to be true."

As Emma described her kingdom which such warm, unabashed fondness, Benjamin found himself smiling at the beautiful picture she conjured. It sounded remarkable, magical, in fact, and he agreed, "There's a certain beauty in getting to experience as much as you possibly can. Life is meant to be lived, after all...and your home sounds extraordinary."

In some ways, the descriptions made him think of his own hometown of Setauket, and unbidden, a pang of longing burned within his chest.

Although Benjamin, himself, felt no shortage of love during his upbringing, something about Emma's dream sounded akin to an oasis; or, perhaps, he was just so starved for love and a kind, gentle touch, that the idea of being around a constant ring of affection seemed truly remarkable.

He laughed at her assessment. "Right: no lunches made by you -- got it. I very much doubt the kingdom would like to be poisoned, so I'm sure that can be arranged."

"Bet you thought I was going to say that I wanted to keep jumping into danger, mh? Sword always at hand."

Smile growing a touch softer, Benjamin allowed, "I'll admit my thoughts weren't leaning towards the domestic, but I feel you'd make a wonderful mother, Emma...even if you might coax them into reckless behavior."

"If this is the effect that this drink has on you, I'm buying the inn, Ben. You do realize that's something I would say, right?"

Startled, he laughed. "So your solution to properly befriending me is to get me pickled? I'm not so sure I like this plan..."

"I... Wow, I am speechless. That's... new."

"You're technically not speechless," Benjamin said, unable to resist teasing her. "You were at least seven words over the limit there."

Admittedly, Emma's next flustered barrage of words stunned him. Her favorite person? Unbidden, a healthy pink stained his cheeks and he lowered his eyes again, chuckling self-consciously. "I just criticized your grammar, and yet I'm your favorite person? Now I think you're just trying to butter me up...should I be concerned?"

She coaxed him further with the prospect of going outside, which prompted Benjamin to arch a brow. "You want to go out together into the dark night -- alone?" Unable to help it, he grinned. "And is this the cautionary tale where you devour me, or are you genuinely desirous of closer introspection? Because I think...I-I think I might be amenable...to the talking -- not the devouring."

A while ago, Benjamin would've feared coming across as a scoundrel in such moments, but since Emma was not only the instigator, but seemed so wholly, delightfully pleased by the prospect, he was helpless but to rise from his seat, stein in hand and his palm extended to help her up from the table.

"You're right," he agreed. "They don't know we aren't married -- and yet, shouldn't you be insulted by the assumption that we are? I've been told I have the charm of a bayonet to the ear canal, and that's on a nice day."